I've had many a shoe for touring and my latest Northwave are thin on the heel and need replacing.They were a good fit and found them wider than the narrow Shimano although they were the same size.

In everything else I take a 46 (size 11). Workboots walkers etc, but cycle shoes seem to be all over the place. Living rural doesn't give opportunity to sample some of the other brands even though I'm on the verge of chancing some online. It wouldn't be the first time. The LBS's get the standard road shoes in and the shimano. I'm not a fan of the Shimano.

What are the Specialised or the Mavic touring shoes like? Narrower than most or what it says

onrbikes wrote:I've had many a shoe for touring and my latest Northwave are thin on the heel and need replacing.They were a good fit and found them wider than the narrow Shimano although they were the same size.

Same for me - Shimano are too narrow for comfort. I've got Northwave Expedition GTX, they don't make them anymore, replaced them with Drifter GTX, now they don't make them anymore either. Current model is Explorer GTX but don't much like the colour or the price. There are still some Drifters around but I can't find any in 46.

I've seen a recent review of shoes in a cycling mag that mentioned the fit width for each shoe .. let you know when I find it. I think it was a UK one.

I'm a EEE width fitting .. what ever that is ... here. I had my feet measured for hand made leather boots in the UK (the Melbourne guy for this has retired) .. I stated I had wide feet .. after the measurement they said my feet were close to their standard width .. so it must be my british heritage that makes my feet the width they are.

I've also had some custom leather cycling shoes made by Brendan Dwyer who is based in the Nicholas Building, Cnr Swanston St and Flinders Lane. Amazing coincidence - an article about Brendan in today's SMH

The size 43 in the Exustar Stelvio shoes is a good fit for my wide foot. As a benchmark for the width, I also take Sidi size 43.5 'mega' size road shoes - the wide mega size "roughly correspond to a EE/EEE width on the Brannock sizing scale" http://www.sidiamerica.com/sidi/fit.html.

I decided to try the Exustar shoes (which we bought from the UK - they are not available in Australia to my knowledge) after reading a review by Chris Juden in the UK Cyclists' Touring Club magazine a few years ago. I like them so much I also use them on MTB day touring rides, though I also have Specalized MTB shoes in size 43 that are also a good fit my wide feet.

The Exustar shoes are also very presentable as they look similar to ordinary shoes - I use them when cycling to doctor, dentist, etc, appointments.

If you can live without being clipped in I can recommend Keen Newports - comfortable, durable, don't get smelly, cool in the heat, solid sole, grippy, work well off the bike. Pair them with sealed-bearing MTB pedals and you're golden.

GregLR wrote:There is an alternative to using MTB shoes for touring: my wife & I both have Exustar 'Stelvio' SPD leather touring shoes

They are a nice shoe, for sure, and they fit wider than they look. I also have a fairly wide foot, and the Stelvios fit quite well.

BUT...

...the soles wear like cheese if you do any walking at all.

I've gone through two pairs now. The second pair lasted better than the first (they changed the sole design, which made a big difference). Just walking a couple of hundred metres between the bike shed and my office each day (then changing into toe caps for the day), I only got about a year out of each pair. They're not a hideously expensive shoe, but I can't come at buying yet another pair if they're going to keep wearing like that.

I'm now commuting in Shimano S-MT71 shoes. They have Vibram SPD soles, which I guess might be wider than typical Shimano soles, because they fit my slabs in them (albeit a size bigger than I wear in every other brand). They're lasting quite well too, with the rigours of that great trek across the carpark...

I use a 100% custom shoe built from scratch to the specs of Steve Hogg in sydney.

I use xtr 980 pedals and cleats. Great to have a shoe I can ride 2100km in a week with no issues yet still bang out 6 watts per kg for 10mins or walk safely around the supermarket with no fear of slipping.

Specialized Touring Road shoe with the slipnot sole is a great model as well.

I'm looking at Touring/Commuting shoes, spd capable, and I'm exhausted. 2/3 of the market is owned by Shimano it seems. Crucially, I currently use Shimano WIDE model Road shoes and don't know if the more relaxed sizing and more flexible materials in Shimano's "Tourer/Commuter" range means I can wear the same size as my Shimano WIDE road shoes, as they are not specifically WIDE models.

I really can't go up a Shimano size because while my road shoes have the correct last width, I'm almost 'swimming' in the upper - running out strap adjustment, can't pull any tighter. And they're a bit too long. Which if anything all suggests I would get away with the same size in Shimano touring shoes.

I'm seriously tempted to just buy the Vaude touring shoe with my panniers. They're the right price. AND they have my regular shoe size in stock, and don't seem notoriously narrow. Anyone know anything about them? Can't see any reviews online. It's Vaude - surely they can't be crap?

Edit: After examining how much I'm about to spend (after having just bought the bike already), I'm starting to wonder if maybe I shouldn't just take the beefy Shimano alloy platform BMX pedals off my old steel bike...no new pedals OR shoes necessary. Continue riding it wearing trainers. I've got some cheap, plastic flat pedals I can put on the steely for occasional use. Still, touring shoes would be nice even with the BMX pedals.

Birkenstock Arizona sandals. Love them. But unfortunately they get treacherously slippery when sweating excessively. Myself I don't see the need for being clipped in when touring. It limits your options on/off the bike, 3 pairs of footwear? and they weigh significantly more than sneakers last time I looked. Current favourites are some Footprints Davenports I got new from ebay. They have a reasonbly hard sole, not too springy and with the comfort of Birkenstocks.

But don't the tops of your feet get sunburnt wearing sandals? I know that's what touring people wear. I had a thing for Teva sandals at one point. I just can't let go of the notion of trying to get somewhere as efficiently and quickly as possible. Given the weight of the bike and gear involved, some attitude adjustment may be necessary, particularly on hills.

I have seriously thought of getting a pair of $100 Shimano WIDE model MTB shoes. They must be OK for a 10 minute stroll around a supermarket? True, if your bike breaks and you need to walk 50-100 kms to help, you might have a problem on your hands. Still, a quality set of modern, light-weight flip-flops (Adidas? Tevas?) you keep in your panniers would probably get you that far? Seriously.

TheShadow wrote:But don't the tops of your feet get sunburnt wearing sandals? I know that's what touring people wear.

Sandals? No way. I don't know where you get that idea. I certainly don't wear them, and I've encountered few that do. I did meet one in NZ but after a few minutes of conversation noticed a very bad smell, which, to cut a long story short turned out to be coming from his sandal clad feet.

TheShadow wrote:lI have seriously thought of getting a pair of $100 Shimano WIDE model MTB shoes. They must be OK for a 10 minute stroll around a supermarket? True, if your bike breaks and you need to walk 50-100 kms to help, you might have a problem on your hands.

Get 'em. I take only one pair shoes on tour, and they are Northwave MTB shoes. I've walked many kms in them around towns and on hiking side trips, and wear them all day every day. They have Vibram soles and are little different to walk in than hiking shoes.

I do need to put sun cream on sometimes but it's not an issue usually. The others I mentioned are shoes not sandals. Without meaning to cause offence to anybody I find cycling shoes in general to be the most plug ugly footwear out there. Kind of a cross between an overweight running shoe and an orthopaedic one.

I've had Tevas, and worn cycling socks with them in public because I was cold and hadn't bothered carrying any warmer clothes. It lets your sweaty cycling socks dry out before your commute home if nothing else.

I'm not sure that I can see myself cycling far in sandals, but youve got me thinking. Some of them have pretty firm soles for carrying heavy backpacks and doing serious hiking, so, as long as your foot is secure with pins on flat pedals, or spd, it's starting to dawn on me that could be done. They're not cheap though, generally! I'm not going to even look at Teva prices. Although the Keens seem a good price online! Are they regular sizing?

IMO, you want disgusting, look no further than tri-athetes wearing no socks every ride. I'll say no more. Much easier to wash off a Teva or Keen than try to clean inside a road shoe.

Also, after looking at endless models of fancy, expensive multi-purpose shoes, I'm starting to wonder if it's not completely silly to have a pure cycling/road shoe and then change into a ultra-light 'Thong'. I think something like $40 Adidas "Slides" are much, much tougher than the old Aussie thongs. I admit I have not worn mine much outside as they scream Bogan/Surfie, but I'd carry them in a backpack when I'd say no to carrying any other sandal or shoe. They must weigh less than 300gms? There's no straps..slip on/off, leave short cycling socks on. Put road shoes in bag/pannier to carry with you. Could only take 20 seconds?

TheShadow wrote:I'm starting to wonder if it's not completely silly to have a pure cycling/road shoe and then change into a ultra-light 'Thong'.

You haven't actually done any touring yet have you? If you had, you would know there are many times when you will be walking, and even pushing your bike, and that yes it is indeed completely silly.That is why MTB or touring shoes with recessed SPD cleats are the best choice if you want to go clipless. A pair of ultralight thongs is a good idea for wear around camp and in particular into communal shower blocks. However since my recent routes have included many streams to ford, I now favour an ultralight barefoot running shoe which stays on in fast flowing water.

I would have got the budget SH M089 wide mtb shoes by now, but every time I look at the photo of the minimalistic tread, particularly on the heel, I just think they can't possibly take very much walking at all without wearing them out. I spoke to several shops and they also cautioned me about treating them like casual trainers when you're out and about. I was attracted to them because I figured they would have fit my feet, and worked on the bike very much like the SH R087 road shoes I have, which are not brilliant, but do the job. They WOULD work for the relatively small amount walking I would most likely do in them, but the question is "For how long?" I think they would feel better on the bike than the bulkier tourer style shoes.

If you want to walk even a relatively small amount, I think you pretty much need a Vibram sole, like your NW Drifters...or like the SH MT71 or MT54 have. They cost 50% more, and they look like they'd cramp your pedaling style, but I'm thinking they'll last 2-4 times longer than basic mtb shoes if you do much walking at all in them. On that basis they are actually cheaper than pure mtb shoes. They are also not much more expensive than a pretty basic trainer shoe I would otherwise use on a flat pedal, and the Vibram-soled MT shoe will last better in that role than the trainer, so the MT is cheaper than a trainer in the long run also.

Then there's just the small matter of whether the MT is the same width as the R087 WIDE. I think it is, since the "WIDE" model is not really all that wide, but I'd need to try on the exact same model I intend to purchase to be sure. Few local shops will have these at all, let alone in my size. I can't ask them to get one in and then race off to buy it online.

I suggest you steer clear of Shimano shoes altogether. I don't usually take a wide fitting but always find Shimano narrow. Upsize to a comfortable width and the toes flap around like Bozo the clown shoes. I tried several brands before settling on NW, which I find a comfortable width one Euro size larger than my normal fit. You don't seem to take in that touring involves much more walking than you anticipate. I guess you'll just have to learn that lesson for yourself.Oh, and good luck finding an lbs that can offer a decent choice of shoes, particularly in a wide fitting.

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